‘Attention Spam’ is a reminder that the special makeup of Tim Berne’s Bloodcount made the music itself special and this latest output is a precious capture from those short few years the ensemble was active.
A depth of knowledge that comes from long-term research, and Curt Bianchi’s passion for the music of Weather Report, is evident on every page.
L.A. is a big, diverse jazz scene where it’s tough to stand out but newcomer drummer Atticus Reynolds has quickly done just that with ‘Towers,’ bringing loads of chops and musical creativity to bear on his first record as an Angeleno.
Matthew Shipp and William Parker’s ‘Re-Union’ is a set of improv pieces that reveals the true extent of unity of purpose and direction that comes from more than three decades of playing together in nearly every imaginable setting.
Hearing bass legend Dave Holland playing loose and sometimes hard with other top line players in a democratic trio setting for ‘Another Land’ is just as good as you would think it would be. Maybe even a little bit better.
Jean Luc Ponty’s long-awaited comeback album ‘Life Enigma’ was issued two decades ago, reestablishing him as the world’s finest electric violinist.
Lyle Mays’ “Eberhard” serves as a bittersweet coda from a largely unsung brilliant musician who left us – as we learn here – still at the height of his powers.
‘Mortality’ is the music of Tapio Ylinen, the Finnish singer-songwriter, performed by a stellar cast of jazz musicians from Finland.
Even the most forward-thinking musicians dig simply constructed chorales. Ben Goldberg is another one who does, but for ‘Everything Happens To Be.,’ he also digs deeper.
When you listen to any of the dozens of records that Perelman and Matthew Shipp have made over the years, you can understand why this communion deserves a box set kind of celebration. And ‘Procedural Language’ is yet another reason to celebrate.
